Virtual Reality Travel: Embracing the New Normal

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As a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is seeing travel restrictions like never before. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got frequent flier miles. However, it doesn’t matter if your country’s passport allows you to travel seamlessly across the world. It doesn’t matter if your savings Is stacked up in your bank account. The world is closed down to travel and embracing a new normal and its called virtual reality travel.

Virtual Reality Travel

Embracing the New Normal

The world economy has come to a halt and, so goes the travel industry. Or so we thought. The travel restrictions are affecting how people look at travel. And many people are choosing not to travel even if they have the option. And others, like myself, are looking for new travel opportunities. The time for VR travel has finally arrived.

With the advent of the Internet and the entire world at our fingertips, people were traveling more than before. Mostly due to the increase in purchasing power and economies becoming more globalized with each passing day. Now those who want to see new places regularly have the option to do that from the comfort of their living room sofas.

There is no argument that virtual reality traveling is better than actually traveling. You can’t taste the salty air at the beach or feel the texture of ancient stone beneath your fingertips, You can’t shop in the local flea market or feel the vibration of a train car ambling across the track.

Virtual reality travel is a great option for people who want a unique travel experience. Even if you can’t do the things stated above, you can still admire the architectural intricacies of a pristine chapel, the carvings of an ancient temple, and the vastness of the mountains through high definition 360-degree images.

All you need is a VR Headset compatible with the multiple apps offering to take you to several destinations. Let’s check out some of them.

Google Earth VR

Google Earth is the pioneer for software in global imaging. In this app, you can pretty much go for a virtual stroll and explore any part of the world within seconds. You’ll get a bird’s eye view, on destinations like the Eiffel Tower or Disney World.

Gala 360

This app has accumulated photographs by gifted photographers from across the world and rendering them into VR form. It offers more than 300 tours around the world in a stunning 6K format. Some tours even have voice-over narration. It’s a free app compatible with Oculus Go & Gear VR.

         

Discovery

Our favorite channel from childhood has now launched its own VR Platform. Even though it’s available to watch on their website, for the best experience, try a VR Headset. You can also watch a lot of your favorite Discovery shows in a much more engaging manner.

There are some very reasonably priced Cardboard VR Kits for kids and adults that work with phones. Now you can easily share with friends and the entire family.

Tourism Websites & Public Relations Boards

A lot of tourist boards have worked on their websites recently to offer virtual tours of their famous destinations. The frontrunners are Austria, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, and the UAE. They’ve got interactive wide-angle pictures and 360-degree views of multiple locations.

The UAE Public Relations Board has been aggressively pushing the virtual tours of Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Social Media. Its virtual tour takes you to Burj Khalifa, Dubai Frame, the majestic Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the F1 racing track, and the other famous spots. Although, the end goal of most of these virtual tours is not making money through it but boosting the country’s tourism once the pandemic is over.

Even though nothing can match the thrill of traveling to a new place and exploring it by foot, trains, cars, and buses, current times call for such means. We don’t know when this will end. We don’t know when we’ll get to tick stuff off our bucket list. The skydiving in Dubai, scuba diving in the Caribbean, gambling at Vegas will have to wait for some time. For now, put on your VR Set, grab a cold beer, and go for a virtual tour to the places you’ll eventually visit.

Wanderful Woman Summit

More women are traveling than ever before, And a Wanderful Membership gives you access to a global network of the most valuable resource we have– each other. The founders created a platform that goes way beyond travel. Wanderful membership is not just a global community when women travel. It is also a community when we don’t, or in this case, we can’t go. July is open enrollment and there are two Wanderful memberships based on your lifestyle. Click HERE for more information.

The Future of Virtual Reality Travel

I’m curious about what you feel about VR travel. Have you bought into it or is it just hype? Do you think Virtual Reality Travel will be a thing after COVID-19? Or do you think once we start traveling again, it will remain a niche form of travel?

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